Wei Jingsheng Foundation News and Article Release Issue Number: A236-W123

魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号：A236-W123

Release Date: October 21, 2006

发布日：2006年10月21日

Topic: The Democracy Movement Needs More Models. -- Wei Jingsheng's Written Speech in Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Chinese Democratic Education Foundation (Published in October 2006 by "Dong Xiang" Magazine of Hong Kong)

标题：民主运动，需要更多的模范。-- 魏京生在中国民主教育基金会二十周年庆祝会上的书面发言（刊登于2006年10月的香港《动向》杂志）

Original Language Version: Chinese (Chinese version at the end)

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On September 23, 2006, Chinese Democratic Education Foundation holds its 20th anniversary celebration, along with the award ceremony for its Outstanding Advocate for the Progress of Chinese Democracy, in California, USA. On the same day, Mr. Wei Jingsheng was in Siena, Italy, to accept the "Stefano Bellaveglia Award" by Fondazione Liberal of Italy, and thus unable to attend the California ceremony as invited honored guest. As the first awardee of the Outstanding Advocate for the Progress of Chinese Democracy by the Chinese Democratic Education Foundation 20 years ago, Mr. Wei presented a written speech as his congratulations to the foundation, which was read during the celebration and later on published by Hong Kong's "Open" magazine.

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The Democracy Movement Needs More Models.

-- Wei Jingsheng

Dear friends, and friends of the China Democracy Education Foundation,

On this joyous occasion of the 20th anniversary of your foundation, I very much want to gather with friends of the foundation to discuss the important matters and the prospects for democracy. However, on this day I need to be in Italy to receive an award from a foundation that is a constant supporter of democracy and freedom. I am receiving this award on behalf of those countrymen who have suffered and died in struggling for China's democracy and freedom. I am unable to decline. Thus I am only able to invite Professor Yang LiYu to pass on my regrets.

I have always admired and very much supported Mr. Huang Yuchuan's advocacy. His advocacy is written in the foundation's name, it is called "Democracy Education." Chinese people have encouraged education for more than two thousand years. From ancient times there has always been a large scholar class. Here is a little common knowledge from history. Western education originated with nobles and the priesthood, moving from there to the common people, it was enlightened and influenced by China's education of the common people. Confucius has thus been acknowledged as the founder of education for the common people.

But in modern time China has fallen behind in education. Why? Because for the last two thousand years Chinese education has been too narrowly focused. Scholars studied only to gain a higher official position or higher salary. The closer to the power, the closer to the treasury: with a higher position you can get richer, then you can have gold houses and beautiful women. One small road we walked for two thousand years; we lost our leadership in humanities and natural science of the once splendid Chinese culture that had reached to its end.

One hundred years ago, our forefathers began to work furiously to strengthen China. They began with education and strove to revitalize Chinese culture, to make it once again brim with vitality. Unfortunately, they were too eager for success and chose the political system of the Communist Party, that even the West themselves did not know what it was. On top of that, shortly thereafter, there was Japanese and Russian's imperialist aggression and interference. In the last 50 some years, China's education has again walked a crooked path, turned around one hundred and eighty degrees, and headed back.

On the one hand it was because of being too cautious, rather than court disaster. From parents to school masters, the whole society had an undue slant in favor of math and science education. Receiving an education was only for finding a job, the old path of studying to obtain wealth and beauty became very popular. Another aspect is that the humanities became more of a profession to please the high authority than scholarship. From scholar to student, they discussed nothing but how to figure out the intentions of higher ups, and how to correctly please these in power.

The rise of the new type of bureaucrat capitalist class, gives "free intellectuals" a new path. They can give advice for pay or for the party, sometimes they argue noisily. Comparing with the Mao Zedong period of one-way talk, it is considered a step of progress. But who gives advice to the common people? Who advises for the future of Chinese democratization?

With this, everyone now understands a principle -- without democratization of China, the Chinese people will be without a future. Even democracy groups from our neighboring countries agree, if China is not democratic, autocratic systems of the adjacent countries will not fall. But China's so called free intellectuals, think only of what themselves can gain in the near future. Few people are willing to put forth and sacrifice for the future of the nation. Under our current education system, we see no hope for positive renewal. This requires those with vision to push forward new education, to supplement the inadequacies of the old education. Outside the pattern of advising the party and advising for profit -- open a new path for education. Mr. Huang Yuchuan took the lead by proposing this concept of "democratic education".

As the saying goes: "master mathematics, physics, and chemistry, travel the world yet fear nothing." In the end those who have mastered mathematics, physics, and chemistry fear nothing -- once they have made it to democratic countries; that is when they really fear nothing. In China, who can be unafraid? Even if you are a hired thug, you still have to be afraid. Only with a democratic China, a free China, only then can you be unafraid. It is not mathematics, physics, and chemistry; rather it is democracy that can guarantee freedom from fear across the globe.

What is democracy? It is everyone's politics. It is politics that needs everyone to participate. But there is a major problem with that: the people's democratic sense. If you want to raise the people's democratic sense, you cannot neglect democracy education. What is democracy education? It is the principles of democracy. But not only is it teaching principles, first it must teach how to be a good upright person.

If the people understand, you can speak by reasoning; if they do not understand, you can use models. Models are the best teaching material to teach people how to be a good person. The China Democracy Education Foundation examples established this year are our models for everyone to emulate. What is a model? It is the cast of the mold; using the mold you can cast an identical copy. We can all follow Yu Dongyue, Yu Zhijian, Lu Decheng, Jiao Guobiao, and Gao Zhisheng's example in being a good person. Those attacking the CCP's autocratic tyranny will then be more than just a few people. The pace of the democratization of China will proceed more and more quickly. Only then will "save the Chinese people from the abyss of suffering" not be an empty talk.

Why has the Chinese Democracy movement encountered difficulty every step of the way? As a matter of act, there have been hundreds of thousands of reasons of the problems. But there is one problem that cannot be avoided and that is the problem of being a good upright person. I do not want to criticize everyone and ruin the cheer. Everyone can examine his or her own conscience -- what do those models that died for democracy have that we lack? Should not we take these as models as examples, to educate ourselves? Imagine those brothers and sisters still in prison suffering. Have we really already done well enough?

First be a good upright person, and then deal with business. I encourage everyone in his or her efforts.

-- Wei Jingsheng

September 23, 2006

(Published in October 2006 by "Dong Xiang" Magazine of Hong Kong)

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中文版

Wei Jingsheng Foundation News and Article Release Issue Number: A236-W123

魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号：A236-W123

Release Date: October 21, 2006

发布日：2006年10月21日

标题：民主运动，需要更多的模范。-- 魏京生在中国民主教育基金会二十周年庆祝会上的书面发言（刊登于2006年10月的香港《动向》杂志）

Original Language Version: Chinese (Chinese version at the end)

此号以中文为准（英文在前，中文在后）

如有中文乱码问题，请访问:

http://www.weijingsheng.org/report/report2006/report2006-10/CDEF20anniversary061021WJSawardA236-W123.htm

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2006年9月23日，中国民主教育基金会进行创会二十周年庆祝并举行其杰出民主人士颁奖典礼。同日，魏京生在意大利的锡耶那大学接受自由基金会颁奖而未能应邀参加出席在美国加州的庆典。作为中国民主教育基金会杰出民主人士的第一届获奖人，魏先生以书面发言的形式致贺。

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民主运动，需要更多的模范。

-- 魏京生在中国民主教育基金会二十周年庆祝会上的书面发言

尊敬的朋友们，中国民主教育基金会的朋友们：

值此创会二十周年的喜庆日子，我非常想和会友们聚集一堂，纵论天下大事，民主前景。但是非常不巧，恰恰是这同一天，我必须在意大利接受一个奖励。这是个一贯支持民主自由的基金会，我仅仅是代表流血牺牲为中国的民主自由奋斗的同志们接受这个奖励。无法推辞。因此只好烦请杨力宇先生代为转达歉意。

我一直非常赞赏非常支持黄雨川先生的主张。这主张就写在基金会的名称上，叫做“民主教育”。中国人提倡教育两千多年了，从古至今一直拥有一个庞大的读书人阶层。说点儿历史小常识。西方人的教育从贵族和寺院走向平民化，还是受到中国平民教育的启发。孔夫子因此被尊为平民教育的开创者。

但是到了近代，我们中国在教育方面落后了。为什么呢？是因为两千多年来中国教育的目标太狭隘。读书人只是为了升官发财，傍着权势傍着款，升官就能发财，就有了黄金屋和颜如玉。一条小路走了两千年，把原本在人文和自然科学上领先于世界的、灿烂的中华文明，走到了穷途末路。

一百多年前，我们的祖先开始发奋图强。从教育入手力图使中华文明更新，让它重新充满活力。可惜，操之过急选择了当时西方人自己也不明就里的、共产党的政治制度。再加上俄、日帝国主义的侵略和干预，在最近的五十多年里，中国的教育又走了一个大弯路，一百八十度的大弯路，又走回去了。

一方面因为胆小怕事，以免招灾惹祸。从家长到校方，其实是整个社会的倾向，教育过分的向数理化倾斜。受教育不过是为了找饭碗，书中自有黄金屋和颜如玉的老路子甚得人心。另一方面是人文科学向御用学术的路子上走。从学者到学生，谈论的无非就是如何揣摩上意，为党建言的那一套。

新型的官僚资产阶级的兴起，给“自由知识分子”们开辟了一条新路。为款建言和为党建言有时也吵得挺热闹。这比毛泽东时代的一言堂，也算是一大进步了吧。但是，谁为中国的百姓建言呢？谁为中国民主化的前途建言呢？

说起来大家现在也都懂得一个道理了，没有中国的民主化，就没有中华民族的前途。连我们邻近国家的民主派都说，中国不民主，邻近国家的专制暴政就无法结束。但是，中国所谓的知识分子们，想的都是自身近期的利害。少有人愿为国家民族的前途付出牺牲。在现有的教育体系下，也看不到良性更新的希望。这就需要有识之士们推动新的教育，补充旧教育的不足。在为党建言和为款建言的格局之外，开辟一条新教育的路子。黄雨川先生率先提出了这个概念，这就是民主教育。

俗话说：学好数理化，走遍天下都不怕。结果那些学好了数理化的，不怕不怕的，还是走到了民主国家来才真的可以不怕。在中国你能不怕吗？就是当了鹰犬你还是要怕。只有中国民主了、自由了，你才真的能够不怕。不是数理化，而是民主化，才能保障所有的人走遍天下都不怕。

民主是什么？是所有人的政治。要所有人都参加的政治。这里边就有个大问题，就是人民的民主素质。要提高人民的民主素质，就离不开民主的教育。民主的教育是什么？是民主的大道理。但也不仅仅是讲大道理，首先要讲的是做人。

民众懂了可以讲道理，不懂就只有看榜样。榜样是教育人民如何做人的最好教材。中国民主教育基金会本届树立的榜样，就是我们大家学习如何做人的模范。什么是模范？就是铸造器物的模子，照着模子就可以铸造出一模一样的器物。我们大家就照着喻东岳、余志坚、鲁德成、焦国标和高智晟先生的模子做人。冲击中共专制暴政的就不仅仅是少数人了。中国民主化的步伐也会越走越快。解救中国人民于水深火热之中，也就不是一句空话了。

中国的民主运动为什么举步维艰？说起来问题有千千万。但是有一个躲不开的问题就是做人的问题。我不想批评大家引起不愉快。但是大家可以扪心自问一下，我们离那些为了民主之死不渝的模范还差点儿什么？我们是不是也应该拿这些榜样做模型，教育教育我们自己。想象那些尚在监狱中受苦受难的兄弟姐妹们。我们自己已经做得很好了吗？

先做人，后做事。我愿与大家共勉。

魏京生

2006年9月23日

（刊登于2006年10月的香港《动向》杂志）

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